New Line Cinema and MGM’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey grossed $37.5 million domestically on Friday, the biggest Friday ever for the month of December. The figure includes $13 million from midnight earnings.

Receiving an A CinemaScore from audiences, the Peter Jackson adaptation debuted in 4,045 theaters and the studio expects the film to earn $85 million for the weekend, also a record for the month. I Am Legend, which opened the same weekend in 2007, holds the record with $77.2 million. The Will Smith-starrer previously held the record for best Friday in December with $30.1 million.